Workers racing against time to unblock the Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, say they have partially refloated a huge cargo ship that got stuck across the waterway on Tuesday morning. It means the vessel - named Ever Given and owned by Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen - could be manoeuvered to allow other vessels past and relieve a logjam that is blocking 30 per cent of the world's sea trade. Images from the scene reveal the scale of the challenge, with diggers - dwarfed by the vessel - attempting to dig out its trapped bow with tugboats trying to free its stern. The jam is so big it can be seen by passing satellites, while tracking data reveals the extent of the traffic jam it is causing. It is not yet clear how long it will take to clear the backlog of ships - thought to stand at 100 - or how long it will take to fully free the stricken vessel which is threatening to cause 'catastrophic delays' to global supplies of food, fuel and medicines.
